Friday, January 8, 2016

Talking trash

Photo by Matt McClain, The Washington Post

A
couple of months ago I read an article that has been stuck in my brain,
intriguing me, and making me feel guilty ever since. It was so striking that I just did a
search for the article to make sure that I remembered the details correctly.
Yes, I did. The mere fact that I remembered it and think of it often is a bit
startling.

This
scientist challenged himself to live trash and recycling free for one year, and eventually
he extended the experiment after the initial year. He writes that the average
American produces four pounds of trash per day, for a total of 1500 pounds of
trash per year for each person. He produced little more than seven pounds of trash and
recycling in the first year of his experiment.

He
composted food waste and did not count the waste he produced in his laboratory
work. But he had to get quite radical to reduce his waste so dramatically from
the norm. Apparently much waste is from food packaging so he devised ways to
avoid that source of waste. For example, he carried a fork, spoon, and plate
with him all the time so that if he ate out he did not dispose of any food
packaging. He shopped at a co-op grocery where he didn’t have to buy packaged
food. He didn’t use toilet paper. (I’m sorry, but that one is beyond my
comprehension—he’ll have to explain himself to you—I’m bowing out on that
detail.)

It is
truly commendable that he treats the Earth with such respect. It makes me feel
guilty that I have so much to contribute to our earthly garbage heap. Although
I recycle as much as I can, I still have a lot of trash. How much of the
meltdown of the polar ice cap is totally attributable to me? Am I making the
poor polar bears live on a tiny iceberg? Am I displacing indigenous people all
over the Earth? Since I read about his experiment and his measly seven pounds
of trash a year, I am struggling with a huge guilt trip every week on trash
collection day. And rightfully so.